My Best Setup Ever.(successful dates)(Brief Article)

Readers reveal the fabulous fix-ups that prove you can beat the odds and find bliss on a blind date.

"I had just moved to Seattle from Boston and wasn't dating anyone. A coworker of mine wanted to fix me up with this guy Jeff. I'm pretty much game for anything, even a blind date, sol said okay. I got a few stats on Jeff--what he did, how old he was, his hobbies--and it seemed like we'd be a good match. My coworker set the whole thing up, so all I had to do was meet him at a cafe downtown. When I got there, I was stunned to see who was waiting for me: my ex-boyfriend from high school! It had never occurred to either of us that we might be the same two people who had been inseparable for four years back in Boston! We spent the entire night catching up and sharing old stories from our teenage years. We didn't get back together, but we hang out all the time--it's nice to have an old friend in a new town." -Amber, 26, teacher

"My friend wanted me to meet this guy Sebastian who was the lead singer in a local cover band. I agreed to meet him at one of his shows. When we were introduced, he promptly said to me, Whoa, you have some crazy hair there!' about my fiercely curly mane. I was a bit insulted and wrote him off as a jerk but stuck around for the rest of the show because the band was actually pretty good. Then in the final set, he said into the mike, 'This last song is dedicated to a girl who I inadvertently offended tonight. I'm sorry...I think you're beautiful.' Then he sang Barenaked Ladies' 'If I Had $1,000,000' in front of the packed crowd. I decided to give him another chance. He was so sweet, plus I've always wanted to date a rock star." -Christy, 23, para legal

"I was bored at work one afternoon, so I decided to surf the Web. I stumbled upon a matchmaking site, and since I wasn't dating anyone, I started reading some guys' profiles. I found one whose description was so sweet and sincere that I sent him an E-mail. He responded immediately. I gave him my number, and we talked well into the night. We decided to meet for dinner the next day. I was a little hesitant, especially because I hadn't seen a picture of him. But it turns out that I had nothing to worry about. When we met at this quaint romantic Italian restaurant, he was amazing. I felt I had known him all my life. We've been ...